Greetings to all, I hope this message finds you in good spirits.

I have it on good authority that we will have a very special guest at our Stated Meeting on December 3rd. While I am not at liberty to disclose his name, he rides in a sleigh drawn by a bunch of reindeer and his initials are Santa Claus! Please join us that evening as we welcome the children from the Language Center and their families to our Valley for an evening of fun, food and fellowship.

Another important event at our Stated Meeting on December 3rd will be the election of Officers to lead our Valley through 2013. Please be in attendance and cast your ballot. There is a breath of fresh air in the Valley of Santa Ana! Come out and be a part of it in December.

We continue to challenge our operating cost. Significant progress has been made thus far. An example is the move to The De-Molay Center at 303 W Lincoln in Anaheim. This saves us about $400 per and almost $5,000 per year! Other areas of focus are, switching as many members as possible to the digital version of our monthly newsletter and revising our telephone system and usage

One way that you can help the Valley is by becoming a member of the Century Club. This group supports the Valley by giving at least $100.00 to the Valley each year to offset our operating costs.

You may already be aware of this, but if not, Most Worshipful and Illustrious William F Stovall, Past Grand Master of Masons in California and Sovereign Grand Inspector General of the Supreme Council in the Orient of California will be retiring on De-cember 31, 2012. He has been a faithful worker in the quarries of Freemasonry for fifty years. In addition, he has served as the Chairman of the Board and President of the California Scottish Rite Foundation since 2006. Please join me in wishing Most Worshipful Bill and his lady Bev, a hearty thank you and best wishes for the future.

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We are in a particularly Holy time of the year. Whether your faith is Christianity, Islam, Judaism or Hindu, we all recognize that Masonry brings together those who might otherwise have remained at a perpetual distance. It is important that we keep in the mind the lesson of tolerance taught to us in the 30th Degree. May your family benefit from the lessons taught us by this Holy Season. Vicki and I are Christians and therefore celebrate the Christian holiday of Christmas. We therefore wish you a Merry Christmas.

May God Bless You and Yours, our Fraternity and the Good Old USA!

Get involved, my Brother, you can make a difference.

Ray Godeke